Chez Nous is the kind of New York restaurant that feels instantly lived in, as if it has always been part of the city’s fabric. Tucked inside the storied Marlton Hotel in Greenwich Village, it channels the intimacy of a true neighborhood dining room while quietly attracting a global, culturally minded crowd. Conceived by Sean MacPherson with partners Ira Drukier and Richard Born, alongside literary agent David Kuhn and production designer Kevin Thompson, the brasserie was imagined as a shared living room for Village regulars, hotel guests, and the creative community that orbits this corner of downtown.
At the center of it all is Executive Chef Flossie Gilles, a native of Montpellier whose path from the South of France to Australia and finally New York gives the menu its particular tension and lightness. Her cooking at Chez Nous is rooted in rigorous French technique, but it is shaped by movement, curiosity, and a distinctly New York sense of openness. Classic Parisian bistro dishes sit alongside plates that nod to Asia and the Mediterranean, reflecting both the history of French cuisine and the city’s multicultural energy. A salade Niçoise, a vegetarian tagine, a tuna tartare brightened with citrus and spice, and a New York strip sourced from a local butcher all share the same language: French at its core, but alive to the rhythms of downtown.
In this conversation with DSCENE Magazine’s editor in chief, Zarko Davinic, Chef Flossie traces that journey in detail, from a village near Montpellier to the open, multicultural kitchens of Australia and finally to Greenwich Village. The room around her mirrors that duality. Under a skylit ceiling, a sweeping mural by British Artist Cecily Brown stretches across the back wall, its color and motion echoing the layered stories on the plate. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner unfold here seven days a week, in a space that reads as bar, lounge, and brasserie at once. In a city defined by constant reinvention, Chez Nous offers something rarer: a place that feels genuinely “ours,” where Flossie’s story and New York’s own appetite meet at the table.
Continue reading for Zarko’s conversation with Chef Flossie Gilles:
Your cooking is rooted in both the South of France and your time in Australia. How do those two worlds most clearly meet on the menu at Chez Nous? – Australia has a strong Asian influence, and you can feel that throughout the menu from our dashi vinaigrette to the tuna tartare served on a shiso leaf with daikon radish and a lemongrass-yuzu dressing. That brightness and freshness meets the grounding simplicity of Provence.
Growing up near Montpellier, you learned to cook with what came directly from the land and sea. How does that early lesson in seasonality guide your decisions in a New York kitchen with very different rhythms and suppliers? – Seasonality speaks the same language everywhere. Go to the farmer’s market, talk to local farmers, stay curious, and educate yourself. Today we have access to so much information, there’s no excuse not to know what’s in season and why it matters.
Le Bilboquet in New York, under chef Camille Martin, was a key step in your career. What discipline or philosophy from that kitchen do you still apply every day at Chez Nous? – Organization and anticipation are your best allies. And on the plate, less is more, focus on a few ingredients and sharpen the technique.
The menu ranges from salade Niçoise to vegetarian tajine, tuna tartare, tagliatelle, and a New York strip. How do you maintain a coherent French identity while embracing such a wide cultural range? – Because all of those dishes are part of French history. The French traveled everywhere, and our cuisine reflects that. Because we’re in New York, a strictly “classical” French menu wouldn’t resonate the same way. I want the menu to feel French, but inspired and alive.
Vegetarian and plant-forward dishes are increasingly central to contemporary dining. How did you approach creating the vegetarian tajine so that it feels both rooted and satisfying to guests used to classic brasserie fare? – I treated it exactly as I would a lamb tagine, just made with vegetables. The richness, generosity, and warmth of the dish stay the same.
The Chez Nous burger and New York strip are archetypal New York dishes. What makes your versions distinctly “Flossie Gilles”? – The burger has a Roquefort sauce, and it’s topped with arugula and thymeit’s subtle, but very me. For the steak, I didn’t try to reinvent it, but I focused on quality: the pepper sauce is made in-house, the meat comes from Pino’s and Son on Sullivan Street, and we age it ourselves.
Cecily Brown’s dramatic mural dominates the skylit dining room. How does that visual energy influence your plates and the structure of the menu? – The Cod dish, for example, is served with a ginger–sorrel oil that splits and moves like the mural. The layers of color and story in her work inspired me to compose the menu the same way: be yourself, be expressive, and find the balance between discipline and playfulness.
Chez Nous sits inside a hotel with strong New York character. How do you balance the expectations of hotel guests, neighborhood regulars, and destination diners? – It happened organically, but David Kuhn, a Chez Nous partner and true local, has been a great compass in understanding how to speak to everyone who walks through the doors.
French technique is often tied to rigor, while your story is about movement and cultural exchange. Where do you break the rules, and where do you stay strict? – I’m unapologetically myself when I cook. I have a natural understanding of French cuisine because I was born and raised in it, so I feel free to be playful. The foundation is French, but the expression, that’s where I let my personality come through.
When you think about the future of the menu, what ingredients, regions, or culinary traditions are you excited to explore next? – Lamb, duck, and pork will be the next additions. I also love Mackerel and want to see it on the menu. Regionally, I’m drawn to Corsica, Lyon, and the Atlantic coast, their clean, honest approach to food is very inspiring.
If one dish best tells your personal story, from a village near Montpellier to New York via Australia, which is it and why? – The French breast confit chicken. It’s served with mashed potatoes, which is such an Australian dinner staple. The chicken breast is a classic French cut, confit the way we would do a duck leg. And the sauce: shallot, escargot, meat jus, and a touch of cream is something we make in Montpellier for a filet mignon. It’s my whole journey on one plate.
Discover more of Chez Nous in our gallery:
Chez Nous
Located in: The Marlton Hotel
Address: 5 W 8th St, New York, NY 10011
Phone: (212) 321-0111
For menu online reservations and more log on to cheznousmarlton.com. Follow Chef Flossie Gilles on Instagram @flossie_nyc
